Display cover for boxes



April 25, 1939. w. w. SAINT DISPLAY COVER FOR BOXES Filed Oct. 36

$1 1 Fl Lnc mm Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 3,

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to display covers and pertains particularly to a cover for use on boxes of food and like merchandise that is sold in bulk and that is desirably displayed for sale in the box in which it is packed.

Such food stuffs as dried fruits, cookies, candies and other goods are often packed for wholesale distribution in boxes from which small quantities are taken for retail distribution. It is convenient to store the food in the box in which it is packed and it is desirable to cover the box in a manner that will safeguard the contents against contamination by dust and insects and yet permit the contents to be viewed by the prospective purchasers.

It is. the object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive box cover that may be packed in each box without delaying the packing operation, which will be constructed and. arranged in the box for ready access as a cover that will adequately protect the contents after the box has been opened and present them to view in an attractive and decorative manner, and which will insure each retail vender receiving a cover with the merchandise and insure proper display of the merchandise.

Further objects of the invention will be made apparent in the following specification in which reference is had to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a box cover constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a box before being packed with merchandise, showing the cover in the position that it occupies in the box, the box being shown with one side broken away better to disclose the position of the cover therein; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a box with the top removed and with a cover such as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in place thereon.

The cover, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, comprises a blank of flat pasteboard, or the like, generally rectangular in shape. The blank is weakened as by scoring or perforating for bending adjacent and parallel to three of its edges, along lines ID, to provide marginal flanges l! which may be bent to a position at rightangles to the plane of the blank, or which may assume the same plane as the blank. The fourth edge is likewise weakened for bending along the line l2 to provide a large flap I 3 and may be additionally perforated along the line H, which 1936, Serial No. 103,930

is adjacent and parallel to the line 12, so that the major portion of the flap l3 may be torn away, if desired, for a purpose that will be presently set forth.

The three perforated lines It and the perfo- 5 rated line 12 define a rectangle substantially the size of the interior of the box with which the cover is to be furnished. A window, which is positioned centrally of the rectangular portion of the box, is defined by an interrupted line l5 10 which is cut through the pasteboarcl so that the blank I6 is not removed by cutting but is joined to the main portion of the rectangle by short sections ll of uncut pasteboard which may be easily broken away when it is desired to remove 15 the panel it from the window-space. The window is preferably decorative in shape and included in its decorative outline is a tab l8 at one end, which is scored to be bent to an upright position so that it may be grasped as a handle to raise and lower the cover of the box. A similar but larger tab I9 is left for the purpose of providing a convenient and conspicuous place upon which to mark the price of the goods contained in the box.

A durable transparent material, such as a flexible cellulose or the like, is pasted on the back of the cover, as illustrated at 2B in Fig. 2, so that upon removal of the window blank IS the contents of the box may be viewed through the window and at the same time be protected from dust and insects.

The manner in which the cover may be packed in each box at the time that the contents of 35 the box are packed is illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the box shown has one side removed to disclose the position of the cover therein. It is common practice in packing most food stuff, such as dried fruits and the like, to turn the box 4 upside down with the top nailed on, then pack thefruit from the top of the box upwardly to that part which will be the bottom of the box. After the packing is completed, the bottom is nailed on and the box is inverted before being 45 opened. With this method of packing, the cover constructed in accordance with my invention is simply placed in the box in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2, the marginal flanges and the flap I3 thereof being bent at right-angles to 50 the rectangular portion of the cover so that they lie along the sides of the box. A sheet of paper or the like may then be placed over the Cellophane 20 to protect the same from being soiled or discolored from contact with the contents of 55 the box, and the contents are placed in the box in the usual manner.

When the box is inverted and the top thereof removed, the cover is in plain View. The blank [6, which has protected the cellulose material of the window during shipping and handling, is then removed by breaking away the sections ll by which it is joined to the cover. The tab 18 is bent upwardly, and upon pulling the tab I8 the cover will hinge upwardly along the perforated line l2. The large flap I3 is held in place within the box by the pressure of the contents of the box against it, and the marginal flanges II pull out of the box and may be bent from their right-angular position to assume a position in the plane of the cover and thus overlie the top edges of the box to prevent the entry of dust or insects.

It is of course to be understood that the display cover may be applied to the box from the top side after the merchandise is in the box and before the lid has been applied by simply sliding the flanges l l and flap I3 into place between the merchandise and the walls of the box.

In the event that the box contains loose material which will not satisfactorily retain the flap l3 in place, the major portion of the flap [3 may be torn away along the perforated line H and the remaining portion of the flap may be secured by tacks, or the like, driven through the points 24 into the top edge of the box. This, however, is in most cases unnecessary.

The invention may be used as readily in a box of flbreboard or like material, as well as in a Wooden box such as shown in the drawing, and should it be desired to provide a firm connection between the flap l3 and the side of a pasteboard box, there are provided slots 22 at spaced intervals along the perforated line l2 so that paper clips, or other suitable fastening means, may be employed to secure the inner edge of the flap l3 to the top edge of the pasteboard box. The blank I6, which is removed from the window space, is more or less decorative in its shape and being formed of fairly rigid pasteboard provides a suitable medium for advertising or information relative to the contents of the box, and such advertising or information may be printed directly on, the face of this blank so that upon removal it may be fastened to the box or to any suitable place adjacent the box to indicate the type, quality, or brand of the materials contained in the box.

The use of display covers constructed in accordance with the invention described above makes possible the attractive and sanitary display of many classes of merchandise that are not readily displayed otherwise and promotes the sales of merchandise in bulk rather than in packages, thus eliminating the cost of packaging which must ordinarily be borne by the consumer.

While the invention is more or less specifically described herein, it is to be understood that it may be modified in various respects within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A box cover of the character described comprising a rectangular portion for covering the box and a flap adapted to be contained by the box and held against one wall of the box by the contents thereof whereby the cover will be supported for swinging movement relative to the box, said flap being scored for tearing to leave a narrow strip thereof to be tacked to an edge of the box.

2. A box cover of the character described comprising a rectangular portion for covering the box and a flap adapted to be contained by the box and held against one wall of the box by the contents thereof whereby the cover will be supported for swinging movement relative to the box, said cover being slotted at intervals at the line of juncture of the rectangular portion and the flap to facilitate the use of securing means for holding the flap to the box.

3. A display cover for boxes comprising a pasteboard panel having the dimensions of the interior of the box, and marginal flanges formed integrally with said panel and separated therefrom only by score lines, said panel and flanges being normally coplanar but being bendable along said score lines to planes at right angles to each other whereby the panel may be pressed into a box and the flanges will be caused to lie against the sides of the box, said flanges being of a width to overlie the edges of the box when the panel is removed from the box and they have been bent back to their normal position.

WINTFORD W. SAINT. 

